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I use what the banks call touch tone processing. No monthly fees, no equipment to lease or buy, no monthly minimums. I only pay the merchant fee for actual transactions. It was set up for seasonal businesses. You have to swipe the card with a little machine with the carbon receipts. It cost me like $15. You then call an 800 number follow the steps and the transaction is complete. Have them sign the sales slip, give them a copy, and you get a copy. Touch tone processing is only for small merchants. If you accept credit cards 100 times a day they will make you buy the machine that hooks to a phone line. I have had it for about three years and it works great for me. I probably process about 15 transactions per month.

We started accepting credit cards about a year ago. I did this kicking and screaming but it has worked out well. One of our vendors referred us to the following company:

US Netcom Data Corp

They have a web site (www.usnetcomdata.com) and toll free # 800-825-1391. I called that number and they sent out a local rep who installed the swipe machine for us. In my opinion, the fees aren't very high....1.78% - 2.95% depending on swiped or not swiped.

I must admit that the ability to accept credit cards has greatly reduced our uncollectables. You are not allowed to charge customers more for a credit card, however as some suggested above, you may increase your overall rates and then give a cash discount.

Oh, and we just accept MC and Visa with no problems. I found that the others (Amex and Discover) were just too much of a hassle to deal with.